Galleries

Videos

Bio

A karate student since she was ten years old, Michelle is sometimes called The Karate Hottie. She holds a Black Belt in American Free Style Karate, but has also trained in WuShu and Muay Thai. She is of Thai descent.

After Michelle graduated from Aurora Central High School, she began modeling. But she got famous as a contestant on Fight Girls, a reality show on the Oxygen television network. She also appeared on the MTV show Bully Beatdown, as well as in a music video for Head Crusher. Michelle said about Bully Beatdown: I had a blast doing it. Everyone was real excited to see a girl fighter in the cage handling a female bully they are the worst!

Her MMA career began in 2007 with her debut at Ring of Fire 28: Evolution against Andrea Miller, and Michelle won by unanimous decision. At 105 lbs., she was in the Atomweight class. Before she took time off to start a family, she was on a two fight winning streak. Her overall record was 9-3.

As she describes herself on Twitter, Full-time mommy/mma fighter! Working on making the best out of what I got, and loving life. Living the dream and daring to do great things!!!

Michelle Waterson spoke with Wombat Sports and said, I feel like Im at a cross roads because on one hand Im in heaven with my baby girl [Aryana] and my hubby, one the other hand my body has gone through a ton of changes, and its a lot harder to get back into shape than I anticipated. Fighting is a selfish sport, motherhood is not at all, so Im sorta in the gray right now.

Michelle later discovered she had trouble losing her pregnancy weight due to a thyroid issue. With the right medicine, she got back into training, and the ring. She added, You have to train your mind to concentrate and focus and you have to learn how to deal with adversity (mmarising.com). For female fighting in general, I would like for the word to get out that we are definitely serious athletes and that we take this seriously. I just want to be a positive role model for other females out there.

Michelle Waterson is married to a former U.S. Armed Forces amateur boxing champion, Joshua Gomez. He has since switched to a new career as a financial advisor.